EgyptAir sees itself as a pioneer of air travel and the most important airline in the Middle East and Arab countries.

It is certainly one of the oldest. It was established seventy years ago, in May 1932, in association with Airwork Company under the name of Misr Airwork to "promote the spirit of aviation among Egyptian youth".

It was only the seventh carrier in the world and the fourth to become a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The company was taken over by the Egyptian government during World War II. It eventually changed its name to EgyptAir in 1971.

Expanding fleet

EgyptAir now flies to some 95 destinations around the world.

During the 1980s and 1990s the airline grew from a fleet of 14 planes to one of 40 planes, each with an average age of five and a half years.

But EgyptAir has had to make cutbacks since, and changed the mixture of aeroplanes it flies.

The fleet currently consists of a 9 Boeing and 23 Airbus planes.

The plane that crashed near Tunis was a Boeing 737-500 (also known as Boeing 735), with space for a total of 104 passengers - with eight First Class and 96 economy class seats.

EgyptAir flies four such planes, called Karnak, Abu Simbel,
Philae, and Ramesseum.

The carrier recently phased out its 737-200 aircraft, planning to replace them with three new Airbus A318 planes at the end of the year.

Recent safety record

EgyptAir used to have one of the best safety records in the aviation business, despite operating in a region where terrorism is always a threat.

For 14 years it had no reported incidents involving fatalities - until 1999, when an EgyptAir Boeing 767 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from New York.

US officials have blamed an off-duty pilot for the crash that killed 215 people, an allegation that has been rejected strongly by EgyptAir officials.

EgyptAir had only two planes of the type that crashed off the US coast, each with 217 seats - 10 first class, 16 "horus" class and 191 economy.

Prior to that:

In November 1985 an EgyptAir 737-200 was hijacked in Malta. After several hours of negotiations, Egyptian troops stormed the aircraft. Hijackers threw several hand grenades. The aircraft was severely damaged by the explosions and fire. Two of the six crew members and 58 of the 90 passengers were killed.

On Christmas Day 1976 an EgyptAir 707 crashed into a textile mill during its approach in Bangkok, Thailand. All nine crew members and 43 passengers were killed. Also, 20 people on the ground were killed.

In January 1973 an EgyptAir Ilyushin 18 crashed into a mountain during its approach near Nicosia in Cyprus:. All seven crew members and 30 passengers were killed.

In January 1971 an EgyptAir Comet4 struck sand dunes in Tripoli, Libya four miles (6.4 km) from the runway during approach. All eight crew members and eight passengers were killed.